


The Birds

by lesandwichpants



Series: The 23rd Doctor [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Doctor Who References, Gen, New Doctor (Doctor Who), Unresolved Solutions, doctor who adventure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-01-18
Packaged: 2018-01-09 00:54:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesandwichpants/pseuds/lesandwichpants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On their first adventure, the Doctor takes his new companion to 1950s England.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Birds

**Author's Note:**

> Like any Doctor Who episode, you do not necessarily need to read the first part of this series in order to know what is going on in this story.

"You look positively ghastly!"

"Well, you're one to speak, Doctor." It wasn't just a retort. Honestly, his whole being was just a big ball of "what are you wearing?" His choice in clothing is a questionable one, and his bubbly personality reminds me of a Japanese schoolgirl.

"Stop that!" He breaks my train of thought. 

"Stop what?"

"Stop thinking that, I can read minds."

"What the hell. Oh my Go-"

"Hah. Just kidding." He stuck his tongue out to me. If actions could speak, then I rolled my eyes quite loudly.

"So, remind me, Doctor, why do I look 'positively ghastly'?"

"You've got all those eggs on you!"

"Excuse me?"

"The slimy substance, remember?" Oh, I almost forgot about that. I almost forgot about the fact that my closest friend has been quite brutally murdered by aliens. I just nearly forgot I was in a spaceship that's also a time machine and oh, lord. What am I doing with a man I've only just met. Not even a man. He is an alien. I suppose I took too long to react to his remark because he then settled to ask me what was wrong.

"I'm fine, but uh... Doctor, who are you? We hardly know each other, and you want me to stick around in this... box?" At this point, he motioned for me to sit down. We were both in the (what I am now calling) control panel room of the TARDIS, and luckily there were some fancy spinning chairs built in to the railing outlining the foundation of the control panel. We sat next to each other.

"Yes, you're right. First thing's first, then. Hello, Ginger, I'm the Doctor." Stating the obvious, I wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

"That's not a name. What's your real name?"

"Doctor is most definitaly my name!"

"I'm being serious, Doctor. I want to know more about you. I can't just travel with someone who I hardly even know. The idea is absurd; I don't even know your real name!"

"Fine. Just not today." he said with a hint of annoyance. I was displeased with my answer, but I didn't want to push it. Who knows what he is capable of? I guess it'll just have to wait for another day. Now that I think of it, how is time even measured in a time machine? I didn't bother asking because I already knew the answer was going to be more than my tiny human brain could ever possibly understand.

There was a long silence. "So, what now, Doctor?" His face immediately lightened up. I already knew he was going to say something ridiculous.

~*~

"Here we go," he says after looking at his monitor on the control panel, "We've landed." He said he wanted to take me to the 1950s, apparently. Anywhere in time and space, and he chooses to take me to Earth in the 50s. Not that I'm complaining; I've read several, wonderful pieces of fiction that take place around this era. I looked at the screen to find an average American block with vintage cars. "Whoa there, Miss." he held out his palm to me as if he were a traffic cop, "You can't go out there in a lab coat with strange stains on you. People will question our intentions." He had a point.

"I didn't exactly pack extra clothes with me."

"Good thing I've got some spare things down that hall to the left." He motioned for the seemingly endless hall behind me. Strange thing he kept women's clothes in the TARDIS. Makes me wonder if he's ever had other people travel with him or maybe a wife. Then again, he's a strange alien and might shop for women's clothes as a hobby. Who knows?

Whilst in the room full of clothes, I picked out a white sunflower-patterned dress and purple converse shoes. Interestingly enough, he had Earth brands of shoes. I also took the liberty of picking out all the slimy junk out of my hair with the help of a conveniently placed mirror in the room. The doctor was right. I actually did look appalling. My hair looked like a short mess of yellow and brown everywhere. 

After getting some clothes from the very space-age hallway and rooms, I returned back to the control panel. "What a lovely sunflower sundress. Haha sunflower sundress. I'm hilarious, aren't I?" That was actually the worst joke/pun I have ever heard, but all I did was nod and grin.

"What exactly are we doing here?" I brought myself to ask.

"Is it not obvious?" He raised an eyebrow and walked towards the entrance of the TARDIS.

"It's actually not as obvious as you'd think." He opened the doors, doorknobs still in his hands and took a deep breath. He sighed out his exhale and turned around to face me.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he says. I wasn't even sure if I was ok with going outside until I noticed I haven't moved an inch. Thoughts were flying through my head about how wrong this is.

"Isn't this bad? Is it ok to actually go outside in a time I haven't existed in? Wouldn't I alter time or something?"

"Don't worry. It's absolutely fine, trust me. I've done this thousands of times." I wasn't sure if he was referring to time-traveling or taking his companions time-traveling. I guess it didn't matter much. I gave him a slight nod and followed him outside.

The first thing I noticed was the gloomy sky. The next, however, was the other phone box on the street. It was fairly similar to the TARDIS. I bet I'm in England. My theory was then confirmed by the Doctor's comment, "England 1951." There were a few houses on the streets and a farm in the distance. We were on some sort of peninsula because I could see the ocean in almost every direction I turned. There were also several birds circling around us.

"Uh, Doctor?" He turned to me, and I pointed upwards to the birds.

"Interesting." he says while taking out his sonic screwdriver from his coat pocket and points it towards the birds. "Just your average seagulls it seems."

He spoke too soon because one bird flew towards me, it's wings close to its body to gain more speed it seemed. It landed only inches away from my foot, and I jumped. "Jesus fucking Christ" I yelled out. It's neck was snapped in half. Clearly, it was dead, but it just committed suicide. Why? The Doctor seemed unperturbed by this action, however, he scrunched his eyebrows together. 

I couldn't help but overreact to all of this, but I didn't have the chance to because another bird did the exact same thing expect this time it was aiming straight for my head. I couldn't move; I had absolutely no idea what to do. I faintly heard the Doctor calling out my name over and over again until he abruptly grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him. Just in time, too, because the bird's beak brushed against the side of my head, tearing through the skin near the corner of my eyes.

I quickly turned around to find the bird in the same, dead state as the last. It hit the TARDIS hard, and now, there was a blood splotch on it.

"Christ, Ginger. What is wrong with you?" I didn't know what to say. I had no explanation as to why I didn't move. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something drip onto my dress. It was blood from the cut. Bringing my hand up to feel it, I realized I was bleeding quite a bit.

The Doctor then grabbed my arm and practically threw me inside the TARDIS and shut the door. "Once again," he started, "What. Is. Wrong. With. You? Did I land in your time far back enough to pick up a species that hasn't the slightest idea to form the conclusion that you might in fact die at certain points in life?!" Now I was just mad because he was being a damn drama queen.

"Doctor, not everyone can make life-death decisions in an instance!" I shouted at him.

"Well, you could at least try to!"

"Stop shouting at me! I'm only human." I didn't mean to say it as an excuse, but I could tell by his face that it's how he registered it.

"You're right." He started walking towards the control panel. "You are only. Just. Human." The last word felt as light as a feather, as if the very word itself was a mere sound made into the illusion that it referred to something. I cocked my head a bit, confused about what he might be thinking in his head.

"Why would they attack us?" he said changing the subject completely. 

"God only knows." I said with a hint of sarcasm. "Maybe we should ask around? Somebody should at least be aware of this, right?"

~*~

I headed out and began searching for anyone who might know about this. The streets were empty, though. If it weren't for the smell of freshly cut grass and well-intact 2-story houses, I would've thought this place was a ghost town. In the lawn, on one of the houses, there was uneven grass and a lawn mower. I wonder what happened to the owner.

I decided to knock on some of the houses, cautiously checking to see if any birds followed. They didn't. I came up to one house to find the door only slightly open. "Hello?" I yelled. No answer. I repeated myself and still no answer. "I'm coming in!" I warned.

I opened the door, and it was dark. The windows were boarded up. I found a candle and some matches in a cabinet in the kitchen. I immediately regretted it because once I lit it up, if found myself standing in a pool of blood and a corpse next to me. You could only barely make out it's human characteristics. I felt like vomiting now. Taking some steps back I found several dead seagulls on the floor. Hundreds of them actually. I can't believe I avoided the ones near the entrance of the house.

I ran outside, not caring if I stepped on any birds. This is creepy as hell, and I need to tell the doctor. Just as I got outside, I found several birds circling above me. Tens of them swooping down towards me. My senses kicked in, and I ran as fast as I could away from them. "HELP!" I tried yelling. I was looking for the TARDIS, but it was nowhere in sight. I was actually doomed.

I couldn't outrun them. The only reason I was still alive was because the birds miss much too often. Just then, did I notice one of the doors of the houses open a bit, and a man peeked out from it. He yelled something, but it was impossible to hear with the loud screeches of the gulls. I sprinted towards the door and came inside. He slammed the door shut, and I could hear the crunching sound of bones being broken from outside.

I leaned against the wall, breathless. "You alright?" The man says, pointing at the cut near my right eye. He looked to be in his late thirties. He was wearing a ragged suit and was carrying a bat covered in splotches of dried blood. I tried to stay as still as possible with my palms towards the door; it was extremely difficult with all the thudding due to the crashing of the birds against the door. I had absolutely no idea how to respond or if I even should at all. A mysterious man with a bloody bat asked me if I was ok. Then again, he did just save my life.

"Yes. I'm fine. Thanks." He looked at me a bit confused.

"You're not English, are you?" He noticed my obvious American accent.

"No. I'm not." I replied. He nodded.

"What were you doing out there in the middle of the streets at a time like this?"

"Well... Uh... I just got here, and some birds attacked me; I wanted to find out why."

"That's almost suicidal if you don't know what you're doing."

"Well, enlighten me." I wasn't being sarcastic. This man obviously knew what he was doing. The house inside was lit up by candles, and there was a lit fireplace in the living room. Before he had a chance to answer me, I asked, "Is this your place?"

"No, actually, I live with my daughter a couple miles from here. I was trying to look for some food or help, but it was already too late."

"What do you mean?"

"The birds. They've already attacked this town when I got here. They're moving inland. They've killed off so many..." His eyes dropped to the floor. I was getting more confused by the second.

"Wait. Why are they attacking? Is there something wrong with them? Are they in danger?"

"I've got no idea myself, but some folks say it's the Russians. A lot of people are saying it's the weather, but there's too many birds of all sorts for it to just be the weather. I've heard some rumors on the radio that the birds attack with the flood tides. The crazy thing is that it's true. I've tested it out myself. It's about another 20 minutes until the birds stop attacking. The tides change about every 6 hours. That's how I've survived so long."

"So, I guess we have 20 more minutes until we're safe."

"Safer." He corrected me. 

~*~

20 minutes passed, and he took the precaution of waiting a few minutes extra until we leave the house. He was right. They birds were perched on trees and telephone wires, staring at us in the creepiest fashion possible. Neither of us said a word going outside until I realized I had no idea where we intended to go.

"Where exactly are we going?" I ask the man. We both stopped at the sidewalk.

"Not entirely sure. I still need some more candles. Maybe stock up on water a bit more. Do you have anywhere in mind?"

"Actually, I came here with a friend. I've sort of gotten lost now, and I can't seem to find him." I already knew what he was thinking. That the Doctor was surely dead by now if he was in the streets all by himself. Except, he wasn't. He was in the TARDIS. Most likely the safest place you could be at in such a crisis.

"Well, I could help you look for him. Not for long, though, we've only got about 5 and a half hours until the next attack." I nodded.

We proceeded to walking about the streets. I told him to look for a phone box, and he pointed everywhere. There was a phone box on almost every block. I then began calling out for him, "Doctor! Doctor!"

"Doctor?" the man asked.

"Yes. Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

"Exactly."

"Sorry, what?"

"Nothing."

~*~

We kept walking for what seemed like a year, searching for the improbable. The Doctor abandoned me. He wouldn't have, would he? Who knows? I hardly know his true nature. This search has been a waste of time.

"Tell me about your daughter." I ask, trying to think about something else to keep my mind off of the thought. He looked surprised at my sudden interest on such a personal matter.

"Well, alright. Um... Her name is Stacy. Lovely lad. Um... Almost 17 now. Doing great in school. She's supposed to go to Oxford University next year. It's really only just me and her. Um... Her mother abandoned us a long time ago." There was a brief pause. "She's basically the only good thing in my life. The only good thing left in my life. Sorry, this is probably getting too personal for you." He stroked the back of his neck, a bit nervously, and I couldn't mistake the hint of redness in his cheeks. He said much more than he intended to, and I could tell it was making him extremely uncomfortable.

Luckily, I spotted the Doctor. "Doctor! Over here!" He was several meters away, and I waved my arms at him. He went back inside the TARDIS and closed the door, ignoring my presence completely. The box started to fade and made a whooshing sound.

"Sorry, but did that phone box just... disappear?" I probably should've explained that the Doctor isn't really a doctor and is actually a time traveling alien. 

"Yeah... He's sort of an alien that can travel throughout time and space." He gave me an "oh I see" face and then went back to his confused look. He probably doesn't believe this for a second, but then again, there are birds attacking with the tides. 

The TARDIS materialized in my line of sight, and out propped the Doctor. "Ginger, you're still alive! I would've thought the so-called birds would have gotten you by now. And who is your friend?"

"Doctor! You thought I was going to get killed, and you didn't even bother trying to save me?!" I was absolutely furious with him now.

"I can't save everyone." he says, unperturbed by my tone of voice.

"Well, you could at least try to!" Oh, no. I was turning into him.

"Why try, if the outcome will remain unchanged?" He was walking back into the TARDIS. The man and I stayed behind.

"Hope." I whisper, though I know he can't hear me now. I turn to the man. "What's your name?"

"John. John Smith." He holds out his hand to formally greet me.

"Ginger," I shake his hand, "Ginger Mallory."

"Strange name." he says.

"Common name." A bit too common. Nevertheless, I had no reason to doubt him. He's so far the closest thing I've got to a friend, at the moment.

I walk into the TARDIS to find the Doctor playing around with the controls. He glances at me and then continues. "So, uh... Doc? What's going on with these birds?" I ask him.

"No. No. No. No." he says without even facing me. "Don't call me that."

"What? Doc?"

"Yes, Doc. What am I? A rabbit hunter. There'll be more than one occasion were you'd end up greeting me with 'What's up, Doc?', and I, being the best and the brightest, will say that the TARDIS is up. In fact, it is also down and to the right and to the left. The TARDIS is in every direction. Then, I will babble on about the Laws of Physics and how ignorant they are, and you will get bored and subsequently, die."

"You are utterly paranoid, Doctor. People don't die of boredom."

"If that isn't true, then where is the phrase 'I'm so bored, I could die' from? Because it sure as hell didn't come from Mars."

"Doctor! We have a much more important matter on our hands!"

"Oh, right. Yes, of course. The Laws of Physics is possibly the most oblivi-"

"Doctor!" He was trying to avoid the subject. God knows why. I heard loud thumps outside. I realized John was still outside. Oh, no. How long has it been since the last tide? "John!" I scream out. The Doctor must have gotten it because he ran outside with me.

It was too late. John slumped against the TARDIS, an eagle's beak through his chest. I knew he was a goner. "Oh, John. I'm so so sorry. I shouldn't have left you out here." I crouched down and pressed 2 fingers against his neck. He's still breathing.

"It's fine. Really. I knew it would've happened." His words were barely audible. The birds weren't attacking.

"It's not fine. You saved my life. I couldn't even save yours..."

"No," he mutters out, "You stop that. Don't you dare let my death be the center of your failure." He was right. I couldn't do that.

"You're a brave man." the Doctor butted in. At that, John smiled. The smiled faded, and he was gone. Just like that. The Doctor went back inside the TARDIS, hands in his pockets. I followed him.

"What happens now? What's happens to John? Is this what you do, romanticize deaths and then completely forget about them?" He didn't respond.

"Doctor, answer me! I will not let you treat John's death in vain!" He turned around and grabbed my shoulders, forcefully. His eyes were dark with anger.

"Listen to me. Don't you prattle around in a 'cute' sundress and make assumptions about my emotions, my actions. You know nothing about me! I am not that kind of man, anymore. I will not let John's death be in vain. Don't you dare believe that I would ever, ever do that!" I was shocked at his violent attitude. His grip on me was tight, and I couldn't help but stare at those eyes. Underneath all that anger, he was just a mash of sadness and loss. His face relaxed. I think he realized what he was doing. He let go of my shoulders and patted them gently as if to comfort my shoulder blades.

He cleared his throat and walked to the control panel. "I'm sorry." I start. "You're right. I shouldn't have assumed that." He grinned at me.

"His death was not in vain." he says. "You're missing the obvious." Now with the sass again. "Go outside and look at him again."

"What if the birds attack?" I wasn't taking that chance.

"They won't. Just trust me on this." I solemnly nodded. I opened the TARDIS door a crack and peek out. There were birds on trees and on the roofs of houses all staring at me, intently. I open the door some more, but the don't move. I finally got the courage to look over at John only to see him just as I left him. I wasn't sure what I was looking for. Then, I noticed that the eagle that impaled him was gone. The eagle must've been dead. How could it have possibly moved by itself from such a position?

I walk back inside. "Doctor, the-"

"Bird is gone." he finishes my sentence. "Something must be causing the birds to disappear or dissolve or something." That explains why there weren't any on the streets.

"Wait. There were birds in the houses I've been to. They're dead. How have they not disappeared?"

"Hm. I don't know. Maybe there's something outside that there isn't in the houses. Think, Ginger. What were in those house that was not outside. Something important. Something unusual. Sometimes a normal 1950s house might not have." I closed my eyes and tried to think of anything out of the ordinary.

"Oh! The houses' windows were all boarded up. It was completely dark in every house." I gasp out.

"No, that's not it. Think harder." Fine, whatever. "Wait, no, ignore that. It's brilliant. It might be the light causing all of this."

"Wait, so why didn't they attack us out there?"

"They won't attack the dead. They aren't feeding off of us. They're here to kill. The birds are smart. I've calculated that they can recognize the scent of a dead person. When you touched John's neck, the other birds were confused about who was dead and who wasn't. They would've attacked, but they figured it would be just more lost birds if their intuition was wrong. Strange. Birds have intuition, now. I was lucky not to be attacked." He grabbed my hands and started rubbing our hands together. "And now, I've got the scent, too."

~*~

The Doctor hypothesized that the birds could be taken down if we somehow cut off their supply of any source of light. We didn't have time to test it. The birds were flying inland, adding more to the fatalities. He began flying the TARDIS in the sky like a plane, and I was the lure. I'm supposed to attract the attention of the birds, so they'll follow the TARDIS. The Doctor was going to find some way to get all the birds in a dark area.

The Doctor flew the TARDIS inland, and we gathered all the birds in sight. It was a huge cloud of birds of all in sight. Maybe, they thought the TARDIS was just a huge person. The TARDIS dematerialized and made the whooshing sound. The birds were also disappearing with it. I closed the door, swiftly.

"You could've told me that part of the plan!" I call to the Doctor.

"Sorry!" I peek out the window and couldn't see anything it was too dark. Then, a bird hits the window I was looking through, and I jump. It didn't crack the window, however. Loud thudding noises can be heard now from all sides. "Damn. It didn't work. Of course not. Why would it? The darkness only kept the bodies intact. Damn me." The Doctor was hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand. This is a nightmare. We've collected thousands of birds to this location, and we've got no idea what to do with them. "Why did I extend the TARDIS shield to carry the birds. Damn me." The Doctor was still cursing himself out.

I just wanted this whole thing to stop. Everything. The dying, the noises, the frustration. Everything. Is this what happens when you travel with the Doctor? I slumped down and sobbed a bit at the thought. I sobbed at the whole thing.

The thumping stopped. I got back up and peeked out the window. It was still dark. I took out my phone to use as a flashlight. I couldn't tell where we we're at. There were birds on the concrete floor. They seemed to have just... dropped. "Doctor! Look!"

He comes outside and was as shocked as I was. "What?" he says. "Come on." he motions for me to follow him back inside.

~*~

We travel back to the time we left. There were thousands of birds on every street, slowly disintegrating. It was the whole of Europe and Asia being affected. The birds just stopped. "Why did they stop?" I ask the Doctor.

"I'm not sure. Saves a lot if effort on my part, really. At least they've all stopped." They did. Everyone who was in hiding is now outside, astonished that the birds have stopped.

"But, Doctor. We'll never know why the birds ha-"

"We don't need to know. The problem was not our comprehension of the situation, but the solution. Come along. We should go now before we are spotted. Imagine if someone sees a phone box flying in the sky." I didn't question him except there was something we were forgetting.

"Doctor. John had a daughter. Her name is Stacy. She lives off the shores on the peninsula we were at. Can we pay her a visit?"

**Author's Note:**

> This piece of fiction is based of the ideas written by Daphne Du Maurier.


End file.
